A lot of standing is the big culprit
Varicose veins can be painful and are also not very pretty. What is the cause of these disfiguring veins? Who gets them? And are they dangerous?
1. What are the causes of varicose veins?
A very weak vessel wall or a bad valve in the blood vessel. Leg veins, which carry blood from the foot back to the lower body, have a rather flaccid wall. This is a disadvantage when standing, because then the pressure on the blood in your foot is five times higher than when you are lying down. The high pressure makes it harder for blood to flow back to the heart.
There are valves in the leg veins that act like one-way swing doors to help push the blood back up. If someone has a very weak vessel wall, the vein can eventually widen so much that the valves no longer close properly. In addition, there are people whose valves naturally work poorly. When a valve doesn’t work properly, it exacerbates it widening, causing the artery to elongate and twist out of space. Those are those blue, squiggly bumps on the leg, sometimes in one, more often in more places.
2. Who has a high chance of getting varicose veins?
With age, the risk of varicose veins gradually increases; but you can already start to suffer from it when you are 20. Varicose veins are more common in people who often stand for long periods of time, such as shop staff. Varicose veins develop more easily during pregnancy. Hormones, probably including estrogen, make the artery wall weaker. Also, the pressure on the leg veins is increased by the enlarged uterus.
3. Why are people who stand a lot more likely to develop varicose veins and people who walk a lot not?
When walking, extra help is needed to push the blood up from the leg veins. When the leg muscles contract, they press on the veins that run deep in the leg, causing blood to flow upward. If you stand still, you miss that ‘muscle pump’ and the blood builds up in the leg veins.
4. Are varicose veins dangerous to your health?
Rarely. Varicose veins are especially ugly. The chance of inflammation, bleeding or ‘open leg’ is very small.
5. When do you have to go to the doctor?
This does not have to be so quickly, because even extensive varicose veins do not have to give any complaints. The most common complaint is a tired, lethargic and heavy feeling in the legs. Some people have the feeling that something is crawling over their legs, or they can’t keep their legs still. In a few cases varicose veins hurt.
6. What can the GP do about it?
Your doctor can prescribe compression stockings. The vein can also be surgically removed or injected. Both treatments are reimbursed by the health insurer. After both procedures, other leg veins will dilate. For some, new varicose veins can form within a year, for others only after more than ten years.
7. How can you prevent them from getting worse yourself?
Try to avoid standing for long periods. When sitting, it is best to put your legs up. You can reduce the symptoms by wearing compression stockings. Walking, cycling and swimming may also help.
8. Can you also have varicose veins in other places?
Yes, veins around the anus can also expand. Then one speaks of hemorrhoids. However, the cause is not the same as for real varicose veins. There are no ‘loose’ veins around the anus as in the legs, but ‘cushions’ containing blood vessels. When they are full of blood, they close the anus airtight and watertight. In doing so, they support the sphincter muscles. The ‘pads’ can drop down. Then hemorrhoids develop.
Sources):
- Plus Magazine
